Harry Potter and the Emberkin
by PlusTenPen
Summary: When Cole, an apprentice arcanist, crashes through Dumbledore's office window he shakes the wizarding world to it's core, for those with the potential to cheat death are forever hounded by both evil and good. Will update as my schedule allows.
1. Chapter 1

**Foreword**

The material used in this fan fiction in no way belongs to me. All copyrighted material in regard to the _Pathfinder Role playing Gam_ e and _Harry Potter_ bookseries belong to their respective owners. Any material wished removed from the fiction will be removed at first chance.

(I also have no money, thus suing me is useless)

 **Harry potter and the Emberkin**

"Run Cole!"

Those where the last words his father screamed before the daemonspawn tore into him.

Cole grabbed his belt and ran, he ran as long as he could, as far as his feet would carry him. He ran between the fields of golden wheat, a blur among the shafts of night darkened gold, all the while hearing the blood curdling cries of his father.

At the edge of the field, he turned to see his home aflame, the quaint farmhouse where he had spent his life learning and playing. His father, a retired adventurer, had decided to settle down as a farmer to raise Cole.

Inside the inferno that was his home he saw a warped silhouette, it drew nearer and the damned monster that took his father emerged unhindered by the flames. A malevolent mesh of tortured flesh and bone sewn together to accomplish one task.

Slaughter...

It flashed forward as it opened a door between space and time, Cole knew the spell as dimension door, and with it's casting his heart skipped a beat in worry and surprise. Only a few meters off the daemon appeared, Cole knew he would die, just like his father. All the running was for naught, he stared at the daemon charging towards him and readied a spell.

Cole had trained as an arcanist since he could read, his father being an adventurer had called upon an old friend and now mighty summoner to teach him all he knew. But even arcane might had it's limits, his pitiful assortment of spells could not harm a beast of Abbadon, though he did not falter, for he was an emberkin and hatred for the spawn of evil burned doubt and fear from his mind.

"Protection against evil!" the ward flickered to life as the daemon crashed into him, the spell had barely saved his skin, and he knew the next few seconds spelled life or death. The air churned and glowed with arcane flux as a thick web shot forth from Cole's hands, now he had time, a rare commodity for spellcasters.

Cole knew he could not defeat the beast, and his wards could not hold an imp from harming him, let alone a daemon. Cole smiled for a second as a whisper left his mouth,"Invisibility," then another,"dimensional slide." A crack in reality formed in front of Cole, and he was about to step through when, unfortunately for him, the daemon had also cast…

Anyone who has ever been under threat of drowning knows the feeling of the utter pathetic terror caused by helplessness. Cole felt his body go limp, apparently having dimensional anchor cast on you with on half your body inside a crack between worlds felt as if he had been jerked through a meat grinder at the speed of sound…

Well it could have been worse, Cole thought before blacking out, at least all of him came out the other end...

* * *

Cole awoke. An endless field of charred flowers surrounded him, both sad and beautiful at the same time, A red waning sun, only as bright as a full moon, hung lazily in the air covering the field in an endless sunset. A grand flash of light blinded him for an instant as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen appeared, dark oily ebony skin like soot, flaming amber hair flowing in an ethereal breeze and eyes like dying embers clinging to life, and then she spoke…

"Awaken my child, your death has not yet come, but beware, for nothing will be the same as you remembered..." She spoke in a melodious voice, with regret and joy, as to see a loved one off safely.

"I shall always come to help when you need me most."

Cole was an Emberkin, his father had met his Peri mother, good outsiders who where the descendants of fallen celestials, while adventuring in the isles of Cheliax, a land that had sold itself to Asmodeus, God, and lord of the nine hells. Both of them where hunting a cult of diabolists that had hatched an insane plot to summon a pit fiend (Really trustworthy characters) to grant them eternal life. After a climactic battle with the cultists his mother and father had shared a short romance before the eternal hunt for evil called her again, and in his care she left her mortal child, her ember…


	2. Chapter 2

**Foreword**

All text displayed in _italics_ are the thoughts of Cole.

 **Chapter 2 – A Strange Awakening**

"Holy mask of Nethys! Featherfall!"

As it turns out, casting an inertia dampening spell at terminal velocity hurts, like, a lot.

The last thing Cole saw before blacking out from G-shock was a massive castle built at the foot of a great lake and forest. grand spiralling towers shot from a monumental keep, all in all it was an amazing view, unfortunately for young Cole he was unconscious and thus could not enjoy the rapidly nearing vista, he was also heading strait for a window.

Dumbledore, being an elder wizard and great war hero, was not easily frightened, thus when his office window was smashed by a young figure his chocking on a lemon drop was a comical understatement. Snape, on the other hand, almost flew from her chair at the sudden crash, with Minerva not faring much better.

Coughing out a lemon drop Dumbledore and his guests rushed over toward the now bleeding unconscious heap on the floor,"Full marks for entrance, aye Severus?" Dumbledore remarked.

"Really, Albus, now?" Minerva retorted.

Cole's gasp felt like his first breath in ages, wheezing he took in his surroundings. He was lying inside a strange metal bed, surrounded by a veil, outside he could hear elderly voices conversing.

"He's been out for days Albus, and we don't even know who he is or where he came from."

"Presumably outside, and then right through the window."

"Albus Percival Dumbledore could you be serious for one bloody second!"

"What do you make of this," a new motherly but strict voice hesitated,"child, Dumbledore? Ashen skin, amber eyes and soot hair darker than Severus', he is no normal boy."

"He could be the victim of an unfortunate experiment." An oily voice added.

"I'm not so sure Severus, the detection charms seem to not work." The motherly voice said,"One even said that he's forty eight."

 _Spellcaster or maybe a cleric._ Cole cursed inward, the last time he had faced a wizard it was but a friendly duel and he was still nearly killed, at least then he had spells, now he was at the mercy of these people.

"Oh, Albus," the motherly voice said,"It seems our guest has awoken."

The veil drew back and Cole saw only robes. _Hell, now I'm in for it, four spellcasters, and I'm out of spells, I'll have to tread lightly._ After the initial shock he saw the room to be apothecary, he identified the younger motherly woman as a healer, with the age old symbol of physicians upon her robes.

The other older woman was dressed in well cut black robes with a younger grim faced man in the same attire beside her. The oldest man wore a grandfatherly smile, dressed in colourful patterned robes with half-moon spectacles upon his brow, he stood out like a death priest in a church of Iomedae. _Obviously the lord of the area,_ Cole thought, _only the rich can afford to dress with such poor taste._

"Good morning my boy," the grandfatherly man said,"You have been out for some time now, it's been nearly five day's since your accident."

"Five days?" Cole could not remember how he had came to be in this strange place, he only his mother's face and words.

Yes, after your crash and burn you slept like a log, but I suppose involuntary demolition would have such an effect."

"I fell..." Cole let the words hang," Excuse me my lord, my name is Cole, may I ask, where am I?"

"Lord! Come now lad nothing that fancy, I am but a simple headmaster."

"You teach...?" Cole asked, suddenly understanding,"This is a magic academy!" he said with excitement.

"Correct you are lad." Dumbledore said,"Welcome to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry."

"I am professor Dumbledore headmaster of Hogwarts, this is deputy headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and Professor Severus Snape." Dumbledore gestured to each teacher in turn.

"Hogwarts?" Cole asked confusedly,"I have never heard of it, on which continent is it?"

"Europe lad, Britain to be precise." _Please Nethys no._

"You've never heard of Hogwarts boy?" Severus said,"All magical children dream of being allowed to attend Hogwarts."

"Europe, where on Golarion is that?" _Please, I've not deserved this._

"What? Lad, I've never heard of such a place" McGonagall answered confused.

Cole suddenly remembered what had led to his strange arrival,"Oh, please Nethys no not me, why me, what did I do to deserve this!" Cole cried out,"First my father gets mauled and burned alive now I get stranded in the ass end of nowhere!"

Dumbledore was surprised with the child's sudden mature outburst. Minerva's heart panged, such a young child, so much loss. Snape merely listened in curiosity, this was getting interesting.

Cole grabbed his belt from the bedside table and pulled out his bag of holding, he spoke a command,"Pathfinder's guide to the multiverse."

The ' _Pathfinder's guide to the_ _multiverse_ _'_ what an amazing book, containing all the knowledge of the multiverse known to the pathfinders guild. Cole got his copy from Erasmus, his father friend and his teacher, what an amazing twenty third birthday that was…

Oh, A quick mention to quell confusion, being an emberkin Cole ages four times as slowly as a normal human would, he's currently forty eight, but looks about twelve or thirteen by normal standards.

It was a deceptively simple tome bound in black stained leather. The cover had an intricate silver relieve of the planar spheres, a great constellation containing every plane and realm of god, angel, devil, fey and eldritch horror.

The teachers looked on in interest, this child was surprising and confusing at the same time, where could he have found a mokeskin pouch?

Cole spoke a command and the constellation flared to life, the outer sphere spun slowly as the realms of Heaven Elysium and Nirvana glowed golden. Those of Abaddon and Hell seemed to glow a malevolent red. The abyss and Maelstrom churned not grasping form or colour while Axis stood firm.

With the outer sphere lit the inner sphere illuminated, the elemental planes took on their respective shades, with the star field of the Material plane glinting, like pinpricks of light. With the constellation complete the great copper clasp of the tome slid open.

He looked at the index and spoke,"Inner Sphere, Material plane, Golarion, Global Map."

The teachers look on in surprised awe at the strange book, seemingly come to life like no other animate book could.

The pages flipped themselves, each granting the teachers a glimpse of a different fantastical plane or hellish realm, until it stopped ate an intricately drawn animate map. Cole had seen this map thousands of times, Golarion his home, he held the book toward the teachers.

"Sir,"he spoke to Dumbledore,"have you ever seen a map like this?"

Dumbledore stared in confusion,"No, I don't recall ever seeing such a fantastical place." _Damn_

"The it is as I feared, I am displaced with no way home."

"Displaced?" Minerva asked,"Have you nowhere to go?"

"I fear I shall never return home to finish my studies, not that I have a home anymore, with it burning down with my father inside." The teacher were again take back by how lightly the child took death.

"And what of your mother child?" Minerva asked fearing the worst.

"Not on this world, she saved me before I came here."

"Albus," Minerva spoke,"We need to speak."

"Come Severus let us leave Cole to rest, hearing all this has to have been quite a shock." Dumbledore and the other teachers walked out the door seemingly leaving Cole to his own devices. _Fools, leaving a spellcaster with their spellbook._

"Spellbook." Cole commanded the bag.

At first Cole was confused by the strange book that emerged from his bag, it was definitely not his spellbook, but for some strange reason he felt as if it belonged to him. Instead of his own leather bound, a red tome with gold trim emerged. On the cover as a beautiful relieve of a black rose wreathed in flames, the universal symbol of the Peri. _Mother..._

On the back a grand phoenix of gold stood proud, seemingly alive, as if breathing on the red binding. He flipped open the cover and saw an inscription written with an intricate hand in golden ink,'My son, I leave you my old spellbook, may it serve you as well as it did me against the forces of evil.'

He studied the tome in complete shock, it contained every spell he had ever heard of (1). Flipping through the bliss filled pages he could hear snippets of the conversation happening outside.

"Orphan or not Albus this is a prestigious school, not an orphanage."

"Severus! Have you now heart. Albus the boy is obviously confused and in shock after his father's death, the poor child needs support."

"Destitute orphan fund-"

Cole was taken back, his father was a rich man being an adventurer and all. _In retrospective I should have grabbed the chest of holding._ He could pay any cleric's fee, it was the least he could do to repay them.

"I Nominate Snape," Minerva said," Since he's so eager to help the child."

"Seconded"

"Fine! But on one condition, we test his magical aptitude, he seems twelve or thirteen and he's obviously magical otherwise he wouldn't have gotten through the wards."

"Agreed."

After nearly three hours the strange teachers came through the door. At least now he was prepared, an assortment of new spells, his arcane reservoir filled to the brim and an escape plan. _What fool doesn't ward against travel spells?_

 _Dumbledore spoke,"Are you feeling better Cole."_

"Yes sir, much better." _Especial now that he had his spells._

"I could not help overhearing a mention of funds, give the good nurse my regards, she heals as well as any cleric." Cole grabbed a flawlessly cut violet garnet from the bed stand and held it towards Dumbledore. Snape's eyes widened when he saw the gemstone.

"Oh, child Poppy would never accept payment for her work, keep it, please." Dumbledore said flustered.

"Please sir, it's but a pittance" Cole handed the semi precious violet stained mineral rock to the strange old man. _These people must literally have no connection with the multiverse if they value gemstones so highly._

"Very well child, but don't blame me when Poppy comes screeching through the door."

"Seeing as you an orphan we would like to extend an invitation to Hogwarts to you." Minerva said motherly," But we would first like to witness your magical potential, would you mind to cast us a spell." _A free spot in a prestigious magical academy! These people are insane,_ _of course_ _he could pay, but why when these_ _people_ _are more charitous than a cleric._

"Oh," she added,"you do have your wand with you, do you not." _Wands? Are these people all wizards, and why not a familiar?_

Cole thought for a second then smiled, the air buzzed with power as in celestial he incanted," Desperate weapon." A thick rod of ash wood broke from a nearby pillar, Cole grabbed it and smiled at the gob smacked teachers."Refine improvised weapon," The rod shuddered as it shifted from a plain rod into an intricately carved staff, engraved with spiralling silver runes running down its length, with a silver cap tipping the bottom.

"I Prefer staves myself headmaster" _Actually Nethys prefers staves, I just find the more useful at bashing with than wands._

Before the others could react, Dumbledore clapped lightly and spoke" Very good Cole, almost on par with the second years wouldn't you say Minerva?"

"I wouldn't say that Albus, Cole, your a brilliant transmuter, but you must never do magic without a wand, it can have unfortunate side effects." _These strange wizards, don't they recognise other spellcasters on this plane?_

"Well, it seems our arrangement has been met, Cole, you may attend Hogwarts with the new second years if you like."

"Thank you Sir, you are most charitable, I would happily accept."

"Please Cole, headmaster or professor will do."

"I will be instructing you in transmutation." McGonagall said.

"And I the art of brewing, I shall also be taking you to buy school supplies tomorrow." Snape said

"Who will be teaching combat magic and conjuration" Cole asked excitedly.

"Professor Lockhart will be teaching defence against the dark arts," Dumbledore said,"as for conjuration, professor McGonagall will be teaching it in your sixth year."

"Why so late professor?" Cole asked bewildered by the strange wizards who had seemingly deemed it their job to rename every arcane terminology.

"It's a very difficult branch of transfiguration thus most of it is taught only to older students." Minerva said,"I will be instructing you on some basic conjuration this year, but nothing remarkable, only the conjuration of water and birds."

"Professor, what about pure summoning." Cole asked.

"Oh heavens no child, that is much too hard for school."

Cole was getting suspicious of these 'wizards' they seem too strange to be waved away as eccentric, on a hunch Cole reached out to his inner magic, a secret taught only to arcanists. He strained as an octagonal summoning circle appeared on the floor and from it flew a pseudodragon, a cat sized miniature dragon with fine lavender scales and curled horns.

If the boy's display of magic earlier could be described as brilliant, this summoning was godly. The teachers stood, absolutely entranced by the tiny dragon, just as quickly as it came it left when Cole snapped his fingers.

"That's fine professor, I study summoning well enough on my own." Cole said with a smile that would make a devil envious. _It seems the rules of magic are different on this plane, I will need to find out what will surprise these 'wizards' and keep it secret, this plane may be friendly now but that could change in a heartbeat._

 **Afterword**

Hello dear readers, I would like to thank you for reading this far writing this has been such fun, I would ask you to please leave a review. I'll try to update as frequently as possible but school exams are coming thus please be patient.

(1) Only common spells, thus no spatbook nonsense, this isn't **Harry potter and the natural 20** and thus I will try to keep the pathfinder magic in check, but Cole needed a way to acquire other spells.

(2) Cole is a first generation emberkin, thus I have bumped up his longevity.

(3) Cole always casts in Celestial, because it's cool.

(4) For those wondering Cole is a level 5 peri arcanist with the occultist archetype, he will be taking all counterspell related exploits, for obvious reasons.

(5) I plan to follow the original story of the second book.

(6) I chose desperate weapon and refine improvised weapon because they most closely resemble transfiguration, and because I thought it was cool.


	3. Chapter 3

**Foreword**

Sorry for the long wait guys, but the exams had to come first, will try to update more frequently. The June rush was insane. But I am back, and here to stay, don't worry, I won't drop the story.

 **Chapter 3 – An unexpected journey**

"Cole."

Cole looked around, a black sinister void surrounded him,"Mother, where are you?" The void shifted, as if the darkness itself bled, and from the weeping wound came – a thing.

Serpentine but not, real but too strange to exist, even by eldritch standards, it slithered out of the darkness, it's cyan eyes burning with dispassionate hate. Cole looked into those hateful eyes and saw the end, of what? Who knew, but he knew it to be…

Cole was no fool, only one thing matches it's form, or rather lack thereof, as the serpent shifted and warped, as if sculpting it's form, at one moment a smooth charcoal leather skin, another a spiny carapace, then an impossible array of shapes blended together. Protean, and not a species he recognized.

Reaching out for his power he felt none, he could only stand and bare witness to the slithering, now scaled serpent, slowly, deliberately, nearing him, hateful eyes shining wickedly in the void.

"Cole!"

Cole heard, but could not act, the serpent was in front of him, it reared back and struck…

Cole flailed, a cold enveloped his body, chilling him to the bone, he tried again to reach for his magic, by some miracle he could just feel a thread of arcane power, he reached out and cast wildly.

* * *

Severus was sorely regretting casting aguamenti, doubly for making the water freezing cold. After a brief and embarrassing roll around on the floor his robes were extinguished and mended.

 _Complete idiot, scaring a wizard, a trigger happy, lost wizard!_

Severus had come to take the boy on his promised tour, already regretting letting this 'child' stay at Hogwarts.

The tour began from the infirmary as Snape called it he led Cole down a great hall into a massive keep filled with—moving!—staircases, each leading to two or three different corridors. The professor leading, took them down a flight, seemingly not fazed by the sudden movement of the stairs underneath them. _Bloody mad wizards not memorizing flight like normal civilized folk!_

Walking down to what seemed to be the entrance hall to the keep Cole saw two massive wooden doors, one leading outwards, to what seemed to be the outside world, and one which he discovered led to a grand hall, a massive room filled with long tables and benches. Snape informed him of the hall's purpose and led him out the other great door.

Cole thought the professor's explanation was incredibly unsatisfying, splitting the general student body into four core values. What if one student possessed both or none of the values? The process had to involve more magic. Cole was shocked by the vast amount of gold needed to create a castle like this. It had to have costed it's weight in copper. _Did these wizards_ _raid_ _dragon_ _lairs_ _as a hobby?_

Severus took Cole through the rest if the castle thankfully it was only colossal in size, he was becoming dizzy with the insane amount of materials it would require to build this place.

When they came to the black lake the professor pointed out that he's not to swim in it. _Yay lake monsters!_

Then again the professor pointed to the forbidden forest and repeated the warning. _Yay normal monsters!_

Walking back to the castle Cole recoiled. It was definitely larger on the inside, scratch copper, this place was pure platinum. _Why did these wizards not just build this place in a demiplane? It would be much less resource intensive and would deliver the same results. Even his old master's modest demiplane made this castle look like a shed._

"Boy, stop gawking at the castle and pay attention." Severus said in a tone to mock a vipers venom.

"If you wish to reach Diagon Alley in one piece you will stand still."

Cole was suddenly grasped by the professor. Anticipating a teleportation, Cole was not ready for the sickening feeling of this plane's strange transportation magic. It felt as if he was being hurled by a storm giant to his destination while being polymorphed constantly.

Thankfully the journey was a short one, and Cole quickly regained a measure of control over his stomach. The professor, obviously annoyed by Cole's reaction sneered at him.

To Cole's eyes they appeared to be at a tavern, a homesick pang for years spent with his father in similar establishments rung through him.

The sign, a rough thing of wood and rusting metal, read, The Leaky Cauldron.

Heading through the door Cole saw what he expected, patrons drinking, a rowdy game of some sort striking of in a corner, raucous laughter an a general warm accepting feeling. Unfortunately it seemed that they were not to stay in this familiar slice of home as Severus rushed Cole out of the back door.

The door, unconventionally, led towards a clay brick wall. Cole readied a question for the professor, but was interrupted as the professor taped a few bricks. _Ah_ _of course_ _a hidden wall, seems my stay in this_ _plane_ _has made me rust._

The wall slid apart, and what lay ahead...

Diagon Alley.

* * *

A bustling main street opened before Cole, littered with haphazardly built shops, flooded with the local spellcasters. Cole considered the possibility that these spellcasters are more adept at creating pocket planes than his associates in the arcane arts.

"Professor, what was it we needed?" Cole asked feigning a forgetful mind.

"Books, supplies, robes, a familiar and a wand, all of which you can find an purchase on your own, after you exchange your gemstones at Gringotts." The professor pointed down the Alley as he listed the items and started to walk over to the most evil looking Alchemy store Cole had ever seen. _A_ _rse_ _, leaving me to do all the work while he drools over a fancy studded flask._

The trip over to Gringotts was an uneventful one, consisting mostly of a long walk and memorization of the Alley and it's establishments. Soon Cole stood in front of the building that the professor had pointed out. It seemed an awfully proportioned and over designed mess, with slanted walls and a gothic appearance that could give a vampire cult a run for their coin.

What Cole did not expect, entering the bank, was a horde of goblinoid like creatures stuffed into fine garments. _I hate this already, now I need to suppress an urge to murder as well as keep a level head in a totally strange and different plane to my own._

Cole came to what seemed to be a front desk of sorts. An ugly goblin with a nicked ear and fine golden spectacles loomed over the massive hardwood desk, peering at him with a suspicious glance. _I hate goblins._

"Current account or new patron." The goblin clerk said imperiously.

"New account." Cole responded, clean and cordial, no needless time wasting banter, he could appreciate these semi-intelligent pests more than their cousins back home.

"And how would the good sire finance this account, the sir seems to be of adolescent age and not in keep with employ."

"A deposit of family heirlooms."

"Very well sir shall follow the attendant to sir's left"

Cole followed as instructed, keeping an eye out for any danger, the bank was run by goblins, and a goblins greed is only dwarfed by it's lack of intelligence. They entered a large room, cracking plaster and a vaulted ceiling showing the age of the establishment. _The local_ _spellcasters_ _would never keep them around if they were unfair in their business._

"Present wares for deposit or exchange" The attendant said in a rasping, but still somewhat noble voice.

"Exchange," Cole carefully doffed his belt and upturned it, "gems, coinage and assorted valuables."

With each word spoken a spew of valuables ejected themselves from the bag, at the end the table itself was flooded.

Cole walked out of Gringotts with a sly smile on his face, in this plane he seemed to be as rich as an old money family, or so the goblin attendant explained while shoveling coin into his belt. If he were to stay here for a few years he could obtain a horde of gemstones from elemental earth to exchange for proportionately higher profit than in his home plane. But that aside he walked towards his first target Ollivanders, his pockets, or rather his belt of holding filled with the local coin.

 **Afterword**

Thank you all for reading, I am truly sorry about the insane delay. Factors out of my control made writing hard with the exams as explained above. I will truly update more frequently. I would very much appreciate a review, specifically commenting about my use of language and style as I am not a native English speaker, and do not get much chance to practice, thus a critique of my use would be invaluable to me.

Just a few point:

(1) I reread the features of the counterspell exploits, yea their not that good. I will probably choose something else entirely.

(2) More combat in the next chapters, I am sorry about the lack, but I feel a proper setup is important for the plot.


End file.
